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Objective: This paper aims to describe the 2023 update position paper on MRONJ developed by the Italian Societies of Oral Pathology and Medicine (SIPMO) and of Maxillofacial Surgery (SICMF). Methods: This is the second update following the 2013 and 2020 Italian position papers by the Expert panel, which is a representation of the two scientific societies (SIPMO and SICMF). The paper is based on an extensive analysis of the available literature from January 2003 to February 2020, and the subsequent review of literature conducted between March 2020 and December 2022 to include all new relevant published papers to confirm or modify the previous set of recommendations. Results: This position paper highlights the main issues of MRONJ on risk estimates, disease definition, diagnostic pathway, individual risk assessment, and the fundamental role of imaging in the diagnosis, classification, and management of MRONJ. Conclusion: The Expert Panel confirmed the MRONJ definition, the diagnostic work‐up, the clinical‐radiological staging system and the prophylactic drug holiday, as recognized by SIPMO‐SICMF; while, it presented novel indications regarding the categories at risk of MRONJ, the prevention strategies, and the treatment strategies associated with the therapeutic drug holiday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: During overwintering diapause, the gynes of paper wasps (Polistes sp.) are mainly dormant in sheltered hibernacles, protecting them against predators and adverse weather conditions but hardly against low temperatures. By measuring the temperature inside hibernacles occupied by species from both Mediterranean (Italian; P. dominula, P. gallicus) and temperate (Austrian; P. dominula) climates (mean hibernacle temperatures: 8.5 °C and 3.2 °C, respectively), we were able to calculate the energetic demand of overwintering. The cumulative energetic costs differed between the populations. Costs were lowest for the P. dominula population from the cooler Austrian winter climate and significantly higher in P. dominula and P. gallicus from the warmer Italian climate. The lower costs of the temperate species were a result of the lower winter temperature and physiological acclimation processes. Energetic calculations with an assumed temperature increase of up to 3 °C due to climate change predict a dramatic increase of up to 40% in overwintering costs in all species. Gynes of paper wasps (Polistes sp.) spend the cold season in sheltered hibernacles. These hibernacles protect against predators and adverse weather conditions but offer only limited protection against low temperatures. During overwintering diapause, wasps live on the energy they store. We investigated the hibernacles' microclimate conditions of species from the Mediterranean (Italy, P. dominula, P. gallicus) and temperate (Austria, P. dominula) climates in order to describe the environmental conditions and calculate the energetic demand of overwintering according to standard metabolic rate functions. The temperatures at the hibernacles differed significantly between the Mediterranean and temperate habitats (average in Austria: 3.2 ± 5.71 °C, in Italy: 8.5 ± 5.29 °C). In both habitats, the hibernacle temperatures showed variance, but the mean hibernacle temperature corresponded closely to the meteorological climate data. Cumulative mass-specific energetic costs over the studied period were the lowest for the temperate P. dominula population compared with both Mediterranean species. The lower costs of the temperate species were a result of the lower hibernacle temperature and acclimation to lower environmental temperatures. Model calculations with an increased mean temperature of up to 3 °C due to climate change indicate a dramatic increase of up to 40% in additional costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs) are a global public health threat. Italy is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of HAI. Hand hygiene (HH) is a pillar of infection prevention and control. Monitoring HH is necessary to improve HH compliance, and direct observation is considered the gold standard. Transcription and analysis of data collected during direct observation of HH compliance with the WHO paper form are time‐consuming. We collected, during a 9‐day observation period, HH opportunities and compliance both with a smartphone application (SpeedyAudit) and with the WHO paper form. Then, we investigated the difference in the required time for data transcription and analysis between the WHO paper form and the use of the app. The difference in the required time for data transcription and analysis was significant with a mean time of 2 s using the app and about 14–54 min/day using paper form (p =.004) while no significant difference was found in measured compliance rates between the two data collecting methods. HH monitoring with an app is time‐saving, and the app we used was easy to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition in the first 1000 days of life is essential to ensure appropriate growth rates, prevent adverse short- and long-term outcomes, and allow physiologic neurocognitive development. Appropriate management of early nutritional needs is particularly crucial for preterm infants. Although the impact of early nutrition on health outcomes in preterm infants is well established, evidence-based recommendations on complementary feeding for preterm neonates and especially extremely low birth weight and extremely low gestational age neonates are still lacking. In the present position paper we performed a narrative review to summarize current evidence regarding complementary feeding in preterm neonates and draw recommendation shared by joint societies (SIP, SIN and SIGENP) for paediatricians, healthcare providers and families with the final aim to reduce the variability of attitude and timing among professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiologic data suggest an increased prevalence of pediatric food allergies and intolerances (FAIs) during the last decades. This changing scenario has led to an increase in the overall healthcare costs, due to a growing demand for diagnostic and treatment services. There is the need to establish Evidence-based practices for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention that could be adopted in the context of public health policies for FAIs are needed. This joint position paper has been prepared by a group of experts in pediatric gastroenterology, allergy and nutrition from the Italian Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP) and the Italian Society for Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP). The paper is focused on the Diagnostic Therapeutic Care Pathway (DTCP) for pediatric FAIs in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter in climatic regions with low temperatures is a challenge for overwintering insects. They are exposed to temperature extremes, which directly cause mortality or lead to energy depletion. The winter hibernaculum of paper wasp gynes protects from predators and rain, but only poorly from ambient temperature. In order to detect physiological adaptations to differing climates, we compared the respiratory metabolism of overwintering gynes of two polistine species from the Mediterranean climate in Italy (Polistes dominula and Polistes gallicus), and of one species from the temperate climate in Austria (Polistes dominula). The wasps' CO2 emission was measured with stop‐flow respirometry in a temperature range from 2.5 to 20 °C. The mass‐specific standard (resting) metabolic rate, the main type of metabolism of the dormant insects during overwintering, increased exponentially with ambient temperature but was suppressed in comparison to individuals measured in the summer, which conserves the energy stores. In addition, it was lower in the Mediterranean species (P. dominula and P. gallicus) in comparison to the temperate species (P. dominula), especially at higher temperatures. The active metabolic rate was suppressed to a similar amount. The suppressed metabolism of the overwintering Mediterranean gynes could be an adaptation to the higher winter temperatures to prevent a premature depletion of the energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imbalance between the prevalence of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) and acute-on-chronic respiratory failure and the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds requires new solutions. The increasing use of non-invasive respiratory tools to support patients at earlier stages of ARF and the increased expertise of non-ICU clinicians in other types of supportive care have led to the development of adult pulmonary intensive care units (PICUs) and pulmonary intermediate care units (PIMCUs). As in other European countries, Italian PICUs and PIMCUs provide an intermediate level of care as the setting designed for managing ARF patients without severe non-pulmonary dysfunction. The PICUs and PIMCUs may also act as step-down units for weaning patients from prolonged mechanical ventilation and for discharging patients still requiring ventilatory support at home. These units may play an important role in the on-going coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This position paper promoted by the Italian Thoracic Society (ITS-AIPO) describes the models, facilities, staff, equipment, and operating methods of PICUs and PIMCUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the exponential growth of the number of subjects affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the entire Italian health care system had to respond promptly and in a very short time with the need of semi-intensive and intensive care units. Moreover, trained dedicated COVID-19 teams consisting of physicians were coming from different specialties (intensivists or pneumologists and infectiologists), while respiratory therapists and nurses have been recruited to work on and on without rest. However, due to still limited and evolving knowledge of COVID-19, there are few recommendations concerning the need in respiratory rehabilitation and physiotherapy interventions. The presentation of this paper is the result of a consensus promoted by the Italian societies of respiratory health care professionals who contacted pulmonologists directly involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of COVID-19. The aim was to formulate the more proper and common suggestions to be applied in different hospital settings in offering rehabilitative programs and physiotherapy workforce planning for COVID-19 patients. Two main areas of intervention were identified: organization and treatment, which are described in this paper to face the emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal denervation is a device-based procedure for hypertension for which safety and efficacy has been demonstrated. At present, its clinical use is still matter of debate, despite the most recent clinical trials have shown promising results with new-generation devices in various hypertensive populations. This position paper was deemed necessary by the Italian Society of Arterial Hypertension, in order to provide indications about the applications of renal denervation in the clinical setting. A state-of-the art review of the literature, focusing on safety and efficacy data, is provided. Furthermore, based on current evidence and expert consensus, clinical profiles of possible candidates for renal denervation are proposed. The selection process should take into account not only blood pressure values, global cardiovascular risk profile, but also drug adherence and tolerability and patient preferences. This position paper also defines minimum requirements for renal denervation selection centers and a flowchart for the difficult-to-treat hypertensive patient. Further studies are needed to support these preliminary indications, which are based on expert-consensus only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate whether paper-and-pencil and computerized surveys administered in the school setting yield equivalent data quality indicators and risk behavior prevalence estimates. Methods: Data were drawn from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD®) carried out in Italy to monitor drug, alcohol, tobacco use and other risk-behaviors among Italian high school students aged 15–19 years. A sub-sample of schools was recruited for the study (1673 pupils). For each school, two entire randomly selected courses (from the first to the fifth grade) participated and were assigned randomly to the self-administered paper-and-pencil (N = 811) or computerized survey (N = 862). Differences in data quality were assessed using the following indicators: questionnaire completeness (missing gender and/or 50% of missing answers) and internal consistency (repetitive extreme response patterns). Separate logistic regression models were used to estimate the mode effect on the reporting of each risk behavior, controlling for gender and age. Finally, the prevalence estimates of the experimental study were compared to the results of the national ESPAD® study. Results: The computerized administration mode produced a higher proportion of invalid questionnaires, but the prevalence estimates generated from responses to the paper-and-pencil and computerized surveys were generally equivalent. Nevertheless, comparing these results with those of the national ESPAD® study, some differences in the prevalence rates were found. Conclusions: The findings suggest that in a proctored school setting, the computerized survey mode yields almost the same results as the paper-and-pencil mode. However, because of the reliance on existing informatics facilities until when all schools in the country will be sufficiently equipped for the computerized data collection, they should be given the opportunity to choose between paper-and-pencil and computerized survey modes, in order to avoid a possible selection bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology has an essential role in the development and application of innovations within the health care system. Its application is not limited to the hospital environment but extends to the emergency medical services system. The experimental phase of the shift to electronic emergency medical services documentation was performed within the Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale of Udine (Italy), a local health authority covering about 533 000 inhabitants. Considering the results of this study, we believe it is important to continue to update the methods of data collection and analysis in correlation with the management and outcomes of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SAMOSAFER project, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program, is focused on advancing molten salt reactor (MSR) technology. As part of the project, a Young MSR (YMSR) conference was held in Italy in June 2022, where doctoral students, postdocs, and early-career researchers presented and discussed their research on various MSR-related topics. Keynote speakers and oral presentations covered technical areas such as neutronics, thermal hydraulics, chemistry and materials, and safety studies. The conference aimed to provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among researchers in the field. A special issue of papers from the conference will be published in Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) to enhance the visibility of the event. [Extracted from the article]

Children are defined as hypertensive when their blood pressure values equal or exceed the 95th percentile of the blood pressure value distribution in a pediatric population, according to gender, age and height. The population on which reference tables are based is of fundamental importance to establish the threshold values for the diagnosis of hypertension in pediatric age. Before 2017, both American and European guidelines used nomograms created in the same reference population which included children of all weight classes. Given the close and well-known association between hypertension and excess weight in childhood, the 2017 American guidelines proposed new reference nomograms excluding subjects with overweight and obesity from the "historical" reference population. Furthermore, the new American guidelines suggested a fixed cut-off of 130/80 mmHg, starting from 13 years and regardless of gender and height, to make the diagnosis of hypertension. In this document, the Italian Hypertension Society (SIIA) and the Italian Pediatric Society (SIP) jointly discuss a number of issues raised by the new American guidelines that involve the entire medical community, and also address the definition of arterial hypertension in the transition phase between childhood and adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CompACT) is a 23-item questionnaire measuring psychological flexibility, a quality of life protective factor. An 18-item version was recently produced. We assessed validity and reliability of CompACT, and equivalence of paper and electronic (eCompACT) versions in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in Italy, Germany and Spain. Methods: We used confirmatory factor analysis and assessed CompACT-23 and CompACT-18 measurement invariance between the three language versions. We assessed construct validity (Spearman's correlations) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) and equivalence of paper and eCompACT (ICC and linear regression model for repeated measures) were assessed in subsamples of PwMS. Results: A total of 725 PwMS completed the study. The three-factor structure of the CompACT-23 showed poor fit (RMSEA 0.07; CFI 0.82; SRMR 0.08), while the fit of the CompACT-18 was good (RMSEA 0.05; CFI 0.93; SRMR 0.05). Configural and partial metric invariance were confirmed, as well as partial scalar invariance (reached when five items were allowed to vary freely). The CompACT-18 showed good internal consistency (all alpha ≥ 0.78); and test–retest reliability (all ICCs ≥ 0.86). Equivalence between paper and eCompACT was excellent (all ICCs ≥ 0.86), with no mode, order, or interaction effects. Conclusion: Results support using the refined CompACT-18 as a three-factor measure of psychological flexibility in PwMS. Paper and eCompACT-18 versions are equivalent. CompACT-18 can be used cross-culturally, but sub-optimal scalar invariance suggests that direct comparison between the three language versions should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays the size of university classes along with the growing number of students to be tested for final examination raise unprecedented challenges relating to the management, monitoring and evaluation of learning. Technology may provide some solutions that deserve to be investigated. This paper explores the potentialities and limitations of Computer‐Based Testing (CBT), specifically BYOD e‐test, compared to traditional Paper‐Based Testing (PBT) to verify whether, and to what extent, an electronic mode of assessment can become a suitable alternative to PBT. It is based on a study carried out at the University of Florence during 2016/17. 606 students participated in the study, of whom 443 opted for CBT using their own devices, while 163 preferred PBT. Participants who experienced CBT also answered a survey on perceptions, self‐efficacy and satisfaction. The results show that students' performances were better with CBT, and that a positive relationship exists between the perceived level of self‐efficacy and the propensity to adopt digital tests. In addition, students greatly appreciated the electronic system, especially for the possibility of immediate feedback. Some critical issues emerged relating to on‐screen reading, which suggests the need for careful design of testing tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first years of the Royal Society's existence, a whole network of natural philosophical exchanges was set up between the Fellows and foreign gentlemen interested in the study of nature. From the exchanges with Italy, medicine appears to be one of the major topics of interest; and a series of medical papers based on Italian researches appear in the Society's journal, the Philosophical Transactions (PT). This article is a linguistic and socio-historical analysis of 25 medical papers published in the PT in the first fifty years of its existence. The selected articles were either translations of Italian writings or reports of Italian research. The purpose of the study is: (1) to illustrate from a linguistic and socio-cultural point of view the nature of Italian medical contributions to the early PT; and (2) to investigate Anglo-Italian relations through the Royal Society's medical interaction with Italians by analysing the PT articles and further contextual resources from a critical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Image quality metrics in the context of movie restoration. • Use and test of some metrics as tool for restorers. • A single metric is not sufficient to assess the quality of a frame. This paper describes the digital acquisition and restoration of a Super 8 documentary on the origins of citizens' awareness on paper recycling in the city of Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy. This film is currently stored in Fondazione ASM archives, and its acquisition is part of a larger project of preservation of industrial memories in Italy. Here we describe the tools used for the acquisition and the post-processing with a Spatial Colour Algorithm (SCA) for unsupervised colour and contrast enhancement. This method provides a semi-automatic image restoration, whose quality has been tested through different evaluations. In this paper, some advantages of the use of SCAs in the restoration pipeline are presented, together with a preliminary discussion on the problem of assessing frame restoration results. To this aim, we present objective vs. subjective evaluation, and some issues associated with this complex task. The most used full-reference and no-reference metrics have been used, together with alternative low-level descriptors. Data and examples are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent technological advancements are transforming the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, focusing on digitalization and automation opportunities as drivers for improvement. In a realm as complex as building permitting, the drive for automation should be anchored in a comprehensive understanding of the process it seeks to transform. Furthermore, analyzing the process from a global perspective is essential for identifying opportunities for improvement. This article addresses the need for a systematic and robust approach to evaluate and compare building permit processes globally. Traditional approaches for process comparisons fail to capture the intricacies of a building permit process. Hence, in this paper, the authors propose and introduce the Process Analysis and Comparative Evaluation methodology, PACE-BP, which was tailored for building permit processes. The proposed method relies on a previously developed framework for process mapping which provides a comparable data set of building permit process maps in different countries. The comparative evaluation is then performed by assessing the maps based on predefined indicators, which are used to compile a representative vector for each process. The computational method for compiling the vectors and calculating the similarity measures between pairs of processes is described in detail. The application of PACE-BP for analyzing and comparing building permit processes in Germany, the US, Israel, and Italy is demonstrated in this paper. Our findings challenge the pursuit of a universal "best practice," emphasizing the need to balance priorities and stakeholder's objectives. The PACE-BP method is a powerful tool for policymakers and stakeholders, providing meaningful insight into existing processes and pinpointing drawbacks and limitations in current practices, while revealing opportunities for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluidity, adaptability and complexity of a dancer's movement are often used as examples of how dance at a level of mastery is embodied. The freedom this gives the dancer to choose what and how they move is enjoyed at a subconscious level, with often tacit knowledge driving the artistic and technical brilliance. The topic of embodied agency in dance becomes more complicated when examining dance for the older person who has had little training. Embodiment is not straight forward, particularly if one examines dancing for the older adult with a neurodegenerative condition, which disrupts cognition and physical movement. Yet, as I argue, embodied agency is a key vision for socially engaged dance practices, particularly using improvisation. In the paper I examine how centring the amateur older dancer with a neurological condition means looking again at embodied agency and what it could mean in this context, as well as what the conditions are that might make it work. The paper takes the example of Dance Well, a group of community dancers in Italy that accommodates people with Parkinson's and others, including those seeking asylum. With this example I draw upon ideas from research I co-led to name some of the tacit soft skills--such as empathy and understanding and appreciating difference--developed through Dance Well's engagement with the local community, which, I now suggest, led to a process of embodied agency. I argue that in identifying this anoetic knowing, it is clear that embodied agency is not just aboutmastery of movement, but about important relational skills that are embodied and practiced through dancing, even by those with little formal dance training. I argue that moving together whilst embodying soft skill qualities may nurture an environment that could enable the transformation of relationships between those dancing and contribute to the creation of an important and meaningful activity within the community. In this way, the paper outlines ideas on how embodied agency through dancing may contribute to a vision of social justice and a characterization of embodiment that emphasizes the recognition of each other's humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While self-sacrifice and martyrdom are considered an important component in several forms of violent extremism, including jihadism and even sectors of violent right-wing extremism, very few works have looked at the presence of these narratives and practices in today’s violent left-wing and anarchist extremism. This article aims to help fill this gap, paying attention to insurrectionary anarchism, an understudied violent extremist tendency within the diverse anarchist galaxy. In particular, the paper focuses on Alfredo Cospito, a well-known and influential exponent of this transnational clandestine movement, convicted of terrorism in Italy in 2013, and his widely publicized prison hunger strike in 2022–2023, drawing upon primary and secondary sources. During his long hunger strike to protest against detention conditions, Cospito knowingly risked his life for the cause but at the same time he explicitly rejected the idea of martyrdom with scorn. Building on this emblematic case, the paper explores the reasons why contemporary insurrectionary anarchists are reluctant to accept and promote the powerful social construct of martyrdom, with an emphasis on cultural and organizational constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper retraces the history of Italy's first-generation rent control—a strict system of nominal rent freezes—from its adoption in 1915 to its final dismantling in 1978. It investigates the political and economic reasons why this policy was adopted, removed, intensified, or lightened at different times. In addition, this paper reports data on the evolution of rents in various Italian cities over the period considered, drawing them partly from published statistical sources and partly from archival research. In particular, it presents original data on controlled and uncontrolled rents in nineteen Italian cities between 1953 and 1975 (with gaps), taken from the Istat historical archive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of the slope (b -value) of the frequency–magnitude distribution of earthquakes is based on a formula derived by Aki decades ago, assuming a continuous exponential distribution. However, as the magnitude is usually provided with a limited resolution, its distribution is not continuous but discrete. In the literature, this problem was initially solved by an empirical correction (due to Utsu) to the minimum magnitude, and later by providing an exact formula such as that by Tinti and Mulargia, based on the geometric distribution theory. A recent paper by van der Elst showed that the b -value can be estimated also by considering the magnitude differences (which are proven to follow an exponential discrete Laplace distribution) and that in this case the estimator is more resilient to the incompleteness of the magnitude data set. In this work, we provide the complete theoretical formulation including (i) the derivation of the means and standard deviations of the discrete exponential and Laplace distributions; (ii) the estimators of the decay parameter of the discrete exponential and trimmed Laplace distributions and (iii) the corresponding formulas for the parameter b. We deduce (iv) the standard 1 σ intervals for the estimated b. Moreover, we are able (v) to quantify the error associated with the Utsu minimum-magnitude correction. Furthermore, we have discussed the formulas to produce statistically independent magnitude differences. We tested extensively the b -value estimators on simulated synthetic data sets including complete catalogues as well as catalogues affected by a strong incompleteness degree such as aftershock sequences where the incompleteness is made to vary from one event to the next. We have also analysed the real aftershock sequence of the 30/10/2016 Norcia (central Italy) to integrate the finding of the simulations. To judge the performance of the various estimators we have introduced an index p that can be seen as a non-parametric extension of the Student's t index. The main outcomes of this paper are that (1) the b -value estimators devised for continuous magnitude data are not adequate for binned magnitudes, (2) for complete data sets, estimators based on magnitudes and on magnitude differences provide substantially equivalent results, (3) for incomplete magnitude data sets, estimators based on magnitude differences provide better results and (4) for incomplete aftershock sequences there is no evidence that methods based on positive magnitude differences are superior than other methods using differences. This conclusion is further confirmed by our analysis of the above-mentioned Norcia seismic sequence. This last finding contrasts with the van der Elst's claim that the so called |${{b}_ + }$| method is the most adequate to treat real aftershock sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social identity is relevant to political attitudes. Recent studies show that perceived social positions particularly shape populist attitudes. Italy is an interesting test case that has been scarcely investigated by previous research. Thus, using original data collected in 2021, this paper analyses populist attitudes in Italy and the relationship between subjective social status, status mismatch, and social resentment. This study finds that subjective status matters more than objective conditions for populist attitudes. Those who perceive themselves as being at the bottom of the social hierarchy tend to have higher levels of populist attitudes than the rest of the population. However, low social resentment can partially absorb the effect of low status. The paper provides original data from which novel insights into the debate on populism are discernible, appearing to stem more from individual perceptions than objective positions. The results also suggest some possible remedies against rising populist attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to and utilization of preventive health services are diversely distributed among immigrants. This paper aims to test the impact of structural, socio-economic, cultural, and contextual factors, and to test whether the acculturation theory holds true for migrants in Italy. Based on the "Social Condition and Integration of Foreign Citizens" survey (2011–2012), this paper shows that utilization of preventive health services among immigrants depends on structural characteristics and highlights the relevance of social interactions between foreigners and natives. Finally, the paper concludes that the acculturation model holds true for immigrants in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study deals with the main issues concerning the interplay between homeownership and labour market outcomes, namely (1) the relation between homeownership and labour market outcomes, at both the individual level and the aggregate level, and (2) the relation between homeownership and human capital. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is both theoretical and empirical. A search and matching model of the labour market is developed to explain the strong relation between mortgage markets and wages. A regional panel analysis in Italy is used to verify the interplay between homeownership and wages. Findings: Homeownership is not, by itself, a condition for receiving higher wages, but rather higher wages increase the probability to become a homeowner, since they positively affect the probability of acquiring a mortgage from the bank. Eventually, wages cause homeownership, but the reverse may not be true. Research limitations/implications: The paper focuses on the labour market, while the housing market model is restricted to the mortgage market. Practical implications: The positive effect of homeownership on wages is hard to theoretically formalise and is not empirically proven. Before investigating a (potential) bidirectional relationship between homeownership and labour market outcomes, therefore, the related literature should assume a new theoretical link between homeowners and wages. Social implications: The result that "homeownership is not, by itself, a condition for receiving higher wages" has positive implications for human and social development. If homeownership could lead to better labour market outcomes, indeed, socio-economic inequalities would increase in the society, because homeownership would be the starting point of a "lucky" circle that increases the well-being of people who are already wealthy. Originality/value: First, this study clearly explains why the microeconomic result that homeowners are more likely to be employed than tenants is consistent – at the aggregate level – with a negative relation between homeownership and better labour market outcomes. Second, the related literature has largely ignored the social implications of the topic. A potential bidirectional relation between homeownership and (better) labour market outcomes, indeed, could imply an increase in the well-being of people who are already wealthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giving the proper citations, it is shown that, except of Lemma 2.4 and Theorem 2.6, almost all the results of the paper in the title have been previously published for ordered hypersemigroups in Eur. J. Pure Appl. Math. and they are not new. There are also two results obtained from ordered semigroups just putting a "o" instead of "o" (that isn't a correct way to work), without reference to ordered semigroups on which the results on ordered hypersemigroups are based. One of them can be obtained as corollary to a theorem in Eur. J. Pure Appl. Math. as well, and it is not new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper manufacturing process remained unchanged for many centuries, until, in the nineteenth century, the crisis of rags led industrialized countries to patent new production processes with different raw materials. This study deals with this period of transition by analyzing four samples stored at the archives of Superintendency Beni Architettonici per il Paesaggio e per il Patrimonio Storico Artistico ed Etnoantropologico (BAPPDAD) of Venice Lagoon, based in the Palazzo Ducale. The samples were analyzed by FT-IR (ATR), SEM-EDS, HPLC-MS/MS and Py-GC/MS. These techniques allow the characterization of various raw materials and adhesives used in various stages of paper production. These analyses have found a gradual introduction of ground wood in the composition of papers from the mid-nineteenth century, and the use of rosin as glue only in more recent documents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work, a study concerning the composition of Italian papers from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries was carried out using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The analyzed samples consisted of papers employed for drawing, writing, printing, and absorbance. Observations carried out by SEM magnified the typical paper morphology. EDXRF in combination with XRD and SEM-EDS allowed the determination of calcite, gypsum, kaolin, talc, magnesite, and dolomite, used as fillers in the production of the papers studied herein. The inks present in the handwritten and printed papers, investigated by SEM-EDS and μ-EDXRF, were synthetic, Fe based, and iron gall inks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of an analysis of Italian Working papers (WP) available both in RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) and in Institutional Repositories (IR) and Websites. Given that RePEc is a disciplinary repository based on the active involvement of economic institutions, rather than authors, our analysis intends to explore the institutions' propensity for making their collections available both in disciplinary and Institutional repositories. Therefore, the paper provides a profile of the Italian Economics institutions participating in RePEc as well as an in-depth analysis of the their availability WPs and WP series. Moreover, IRs and Websites of the Italian institutions participating in RePEc were analysed to compare the scientific contents available in these important sources of free access Information (RePEc, IRs and Websites). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the issue of institutional discrimination in relation to the welfare access of migrant minorities in Italy, with a specific focus on the subnational level. Adopting a socio-legal approach that is based on a series of lawsuits, it discusses the role of pro bono legal advocacy in identifying and removing bans introduced by territorial administrations against migrant minorities. First, the paper examines what kind of explicit and implicit criteria of exclusion were introduced. Second, it explores the reasons behind, highlighting why and how «Italians first» has become a widespread welfare politics at subnational level as well as to what extent such sentiment has led to an obstinate resistance for the application of anti-discriminatory principles. Third, the paper brings to the attention the series of obstacles that pro bono lawyers encounter in their activity, showing which problems influence their mission against institutional discrimination in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy is famous worldwide for its co-operative sector, and this firm model has proven to be efficacious in redressing many social inequalities over the past two centuries. This paper aims to examine how local communities in diverse regions have adapted this traditional form to the contemporary trend of bottom-up community development processes. Furthermore, the paper compares the Italian initiatives with the international literature on community co-operatives and assesses to which extend similarities and differences are viewable. The qualitative analysis considers 7 co-operatives in various areas of Italy, and analyses result from 15 semi-structured interviews with managers. Findings show the intense work undertaken before the co-operatives' registration, the negotiation of purposes and objectives with external partners, how founder groups have a key role in determining each firm's approach to local development, and how further networks with external subjects are deeply influence the co-operatives' work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The few existing studies in international literature about students with learning disabilities' postsecondary persistence and academic performances show varied outcomes. Rigorous research has been limited. Moreover, in Italy there is a dearth of public data on students' careers and clearly a deficiency regarding literature on this topic. To tackle this situation, propensity score matching techniques were used in this paper to compare data about persistence and academic success of students who reported a learning disability with those who did not, all enrolled in a large University in Northern Italy. Once potential confounders were taken into account, our findings indicated that students with an attested learning disability were as likely to persist in academic context as peers without any LD. However, for what concerns academic performances, the outcomes varied according to the measures being used. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the number of course credits (ECTS) earned, students with learning disabilities continued to lag behind their counterparts without disabilities concerning first-year grade point average achieved. This paper includes final recommendations for future research, in order to fill existing gaps in methodology and area of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is divided into two parts: the first presents a summary of the history of macroseismic collection data in Italy, from an initial experience in the mid-19th century, to the beginning of the use of macroseismic postcards and their evolution in the first decades of the 20th century; the second part analyses a number of specific aspects of the content of macroseismic postcards. An example of the reading difficulties that these postcards pose is illustrated together with a brief comparison between the Mercalli and Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg scales, which serve to interpret macroseismic postcards. Both the historical and analytical parts of the paper, aim to improve the comprehension of the sources and, consequently, the knowledge on Italian seismicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the aerosol in-situ laboratory at CIAO (CNR IMAA Atmospheric Observatory) in South Italy, outlining its configuration and detailing each instrument and sampling lines. The CIAO observatory has been collecting observations of atmospheric components since 2000. Initially the activities revolved around aerosol lidar, later radiosounding and cloud remote sensing observations were added over the years and made CIAO a leading atmospheric observatory in the Mediterranean region. In 2018, a significant upgrade started for enhancing the observational capability by adding aerosol in-situ instruments, with the objective to push new research boundaries for aerosol characterization and multi-instrumental synergistic approaches. Here, we describe each technical implementation step for building up an extensive aerosol in-situ laboratory compliant with ACTRIS (Aerosol Clouds and Trace gases Research InfraStructure) standard operating procedures. Starting from scratch, the long path initiated in 2018, with the design of the laboratory in terms of instruments, container organization, inlets and sampling lines optimizations, that required time and interactions with experts in the field. Reporting here all the details about the final solutions implemented at CIAO, this paper will be, for new aerosol in-situ laboratory, a practical guide for the implementation of the aerosol in-situ observational site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper illustrates the LIBMOVIT project – Libraries on the Move: Scholars, Books, Ideas Traveling in Italy in the 18th Century – whose main research focus is the European Eighteenth century socio-cultural framework in which the library as an institution acquired an historical, social, public and dynamic dimension. This context will be analysed through a study of the Eighteenth century sources connected to the learned journey experience of the Grand Tour, in particular those contained in the Angiolo Tursi collection – one of the largest travel literature collections in Italy – held at the Marciana national library in Venice. The paper presents the planned approach of the research: first, a classification and an organization of a corpus of relevant documents for the knowledge of travel literature in connection to the libraries world will be created; in particular, the sources will be identified, further bibliographical information will be added, and new sources will be integrated to the corpus and selected documents will be digitized. After that, the research will proceed through a double analysis – traditional and computational – of the texts collected in the corpus is to be developed. First, all the library and bibliographical aspects described by travellers will be studied according to the traditional approach in humanities research to collect important information about the history of libraries (location, decoration, catalogues, opening hours, access, collections, cited books and documents), the travellers and their companions (professions, nationality, reason to travel), the people met (scholars, librarians, superintendents) and the subjects and ideas discussed during the visits in the libraries. Second, the texts will be computationally analysed through several Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, starting from the automatic text recognition until arriving to more complex lexical and terminological analysis and Named Entity Recognition (NER). This work is meant to support the previously described qualitative study and will also allow to produce Linked open data about the domain entities (e.g. libraries, people, books) in view of their publication in the semantic web in order to ease and promote their exploration, visualisation and reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the relationship between religion and football has gained considerable interest during the last twenty years, scant attention has been paid to the relationship between pilgrimage and football. This paper seeks to advance the study of this relationship through an exploration of collective memory about football disasters that throws fresh light on central themes within pilgrimage studies—pilgrimage as both a journey to a sacred place and the performance of diverse rituals at such places. The paper explores, in particular, the ways in which three different tragedies involving English football clubs have been commemorated through journeys to and ritual performance at places seen as sacred to those involved in commemoration—football stadiums and urban spaces, and cathedrals and pilgrimage shrines in England, Germany and Italy. Through this analysis, we seek to show how the commemoration of football disaster is linked to pilgrimage as a process where people seek healing and reconciliation through the public performance of rituals that link the local to the global. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human geographers have analyzed the co-constitutive relationship between race, gender and sexualities across different spaces and social contexts and have called for intersectional approaches in discussions of identities, power and space. This article applies an intersectional framework to the processes of sexualization, racialization and exoticization that shape the daily lives and erotic/romantic encounters experienced and narrated by participants to two different projects: gay and bisexual men from a North African background living in Belgium; Italian gay men living in England; non-White gay men living in Italy. By discussing qualitative data collected during interviews with these men, and through a continued dialogue about this data between the authors, the paper explores both the effects of these processes on the lives of participants, and the strategies they enact to navigate their social worlds. The focus is on two elements, central to participants' narratives: the specificity of the intersectional experience of encountering men who expect a specifically gendered and racialized performance based on 'roughness' and 'wildness', and the capitalization on these exoticizing and racializing images to increase one's desirability on the dating/hook-up scene and everyday social and work life. By highlighting these elements, this paper shows the importance of applying an intersectional approach to analyses of the entanglements of racialization and sexualization in order to complicate linear accounts of these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Less than 2% of physicians complete a research training (PhD) after the residency with a declining trend in those pursuing a clinical scientist pathway in pediatrics. The exposure to research methodology during the clinical training may play a role in engaging the next generations of pediatric physician scientist. Herein, we describe the experience of the Padova Physician Scientist Research Training (PPSRT) of the pediatric residency program at the University of Padova. The PPSRT was addressed to residents attending PGY2 to PGY4 of the pediatric program and consisted of two cores: a general one including in person or virtual lectures about research methodology in pediatrics including design of a clinical trial, writing of a scientific paper and statistical methods, and a subspecialties core for the discussion of research challenges in each area and the scientific writing activities. The perceived barriers to a research training and an evaluation of the program were assessed by an anonymized questionnaire. Sixty-four out 150 residents registered for the research training with 62/64 completing the two cores. The major perceived barrier to research during clinical training was the absence of protected time (89%) followed by the lack of specific funds (37%). The group activities lead to the publication of 24 papers. Conclusion: This is the first experience in the Italian pediatric training of a dedicated research program within the frame of postgraduate medical education. Our report highlights the need for protected time to promote research interest and nurture a new generation of physician scientists. What is Known: • Training to medical research is not part of residency program. • The declining trend of physician scientists might be reverted by early exposure to research methodology and challenges during residency. What is New: • An early exposure to research training during pediatric residency increases the research engagement of pediatric residents. • The lack of protected time for research is perceived as the major barrier to research training during residency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to offer an analysis on how Italian places act as key narrative units in Japanese manga. Building on a quantitative and qualitative corpus study, the paper investigates how culturally salient locations are embedded in these narratives. It is first shown that authors develop salient locations ("places") as distinct entities playing key roles within narrative structures. It is then shown that these representations of places follow principles of cultural relevance, popularity, historical and geographical faithfulness. This is the case because authors creating manga set in Italy share knowledge and appreciation of Italian places and their cultural import with readers. These results are framed in a theory of geo-criticism and in a possible worlds analysis of places in fiction, hereby extended to graphic narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study was to define a procedure useful to evaluate the potential environmental, social and economic benefits contained in paper and cardboard (or other recyclables), which are wasted in the unsorted fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW). To give a practical example, the procedure was applied to the 550 municipalities of the Campania region, in Southern Italy, but the developed procedure is applicable in any context in an 'urban mining' perspective. The procedure consists of five phases and uses two methodologies: one for the estimation of the composition analysis of the unsorted residual waste and another for the calculation of sustainability indicators able to measure the benefits wasted in the unsorted residual MSW. Six indicators were defined: two for the environment (carbon footprint and ecological footprint), two for the society (health footprint and occupational benefits) and two for the economy (economic profit and economic saving). The first methodology was developed by the regional environmental protection agency to update the MSW regional management plan. The second methodology is based on the use of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) through which it was possible to calculate the reference parameters useful for the calculation of the impacts (i.e., loss of benefits) for recycling, mechanical and biological treatment (MBT), incineration and landfilling of paper and cardboard contained in the unsorted residual waste. The obtained results confirmed the presence of such an enormous deposit of recyclable materials contained in the unsorted residual waste, which is a potential source, but not exploited, of environmental, social and economic benefits. For instance, the paper and cardboard 'urban mine' of Naples was greater than 16 million of euro (economic profit + economic saving), with a potential saving of around 11.4 million of kgCO 2 eq. (carbon footprint), 207 million of m2 (ecological footprint), 44 Disability Adjusted Life Years (health footprint), with a creation of 30 job positions in the waste management sector (occupational benefits). [Display omitted] • A procedure consisting of five phases was developed using two methodologies. • One methodology estimates the composition analysis of the unsorted residual waste. • Another methodology used a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. • Two indicators for the environment, two for the society and two for the economy. • The paper and cardboard 'urban mine' of Naples was greater than 16 million of euro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of paper bagging of grape bunches on the morphological, mechanical, and chemical characteristics of berries of three table grapes varieties as an environmentally-friendly technique for protecting clusters from biotic and abiotic agents. Clusters of Italia, Autumn Royal, and Regal Seedless grape cultivars were bagged and compared to a not-bagged control. Air temperature inside and outside the bags was monitored. Bunch weight and length, number of berries per bunch, berry longitudinal and transversal diameter, berry mass, number of seeds per berry (normal in size and aborted), soluble solid content, titratable acidity, and skin color by CIEL*a*b* parameters were determined on four points of each berry. Berries were evaluated using texture analysis, and the main texture profile analysis parameters were compared. The air temperatures around not-bagged clusters were slightly higher than inside the bags. In all the cultivars under evaluation, bagged bunches were heavier compared with not-bagged ones. In Autumn Royal and Regal Seedless, these differences were mainly owing to the higher number of berries and higher berry weight of the bagged bunches. Regarding mechanical properties, in seedless varieties, the bagging treatment increased berry hardness (related to the berry firmness) and decreased berry cohesiveness and resilience, whereas an opposite behavior was found in cv. Italia. Berry skin break force was lower in the bagging treatment in all the analyzed varieties, indicating a softer and easier-to-chew berry skin. The findings demonstrate that the bagging technique affected the three variety parameters to different extents. The main differences were found in the seedless varieties in terms of berry size and bunch characteristics. For all varieties, bagged bunches achieved the quality level required by the market, confirming the suitability of this technique. However, the bag industry is proposing many different bag types (differing in material, shape, color, and closing system); therefore, further studies are needed to obtain more complete and exhaustive technical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common and largely unresolved problem of national-scale landslide early warning systems is their independent evaluation. In a recent paper, Mondini et al. (Nat Commun 14:2466, 2023) proposed a deep-learning system for short-term forecasting of rain-induced shallow landslides in Italy. Here, we independently evaluate the performance of this national-scale system by demonstrating its application between 1 January and 31 May 2021. For the purpose, we use hourly rainfall measurements from the same rain gauge network and different and independent information on the timing and location of 163 rain-induced landslides obtained from the FraneItalia catalogue that occurred in Italy in a period non considered in the construction of the system (https://zenodo.org/records/7923683). Independent demonstration confirmed the good predictive performance of the forecasting system and revealed no geographical or temporal bias in the forecasts. The analysis also showed that the system was more effective at predicting multiple landslides in the same general area than single landslides. This was a good result as multiple landslides are inherently more dangerous than single failures. Analysis of the few misclassified landslides showed that approximately one-third of the landslides were rockfalls, and for approximately another third there was uncertainty about when or where the landslides occurred. We conclude that, despite the inevitable misclassifications inherent in any probabilistically based national-scale landslide forecasting system, the deep-learning system analysed is well suited for short-term operational forecasting of rain-induced shallow landslides in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy ideas are often crafted in international fora, such as international organisations, multilateral institutions, and high-level summits. However, whether and how ideas will eventually inform policymakers at the domestic level remains an understudied subject. This paper contributes to this debate by tracing the domestic consolidation and eventual erosion of ‘Crisis Management’, a policy paradigm that emerged after the end of the Cold War and became dominant among NATO members in the 2010s. We investigate Germany and Italy as two case studies that followed two distinct trajectories. Policy elites suddenly adopted the paradigm in Italy and built a broad consensus on it. In Germany, crisis management has emerged lately and remains contested, as the territorial defense has maintained legitimacy among elites. Understanding the mechanisms underpinning such trajectories is the key to uncovering whether a consensus on a new version of territorial defense as a dominant paradigm will consolidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Snapping hip syndrome (SHS) is characterized by snapping sensation and pain and affects up to 10% of the general population. External snapping hip syndrome (ESHS), the most common form, is often due to repetitive movements in sports or anatomical predispositions. Conservative treatment includes physiotherapy and corticosteroid injections, while surgery is considered if conservative measures fail. Open surgical techniques carry several risks, while modern arthroscopic techniques offer less invasive options, such as endoscopic iliotibial band release (ITB) and gluteus maximus tenotomy. Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted adhering to the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant studies were searched in four databases: Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Medline. The selected articles were evaluated according to the criteria of levels of evidence. The Risk of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) was used to analyze the retrospective studies. This paper was registered in the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). Results: Out of 9 included studies, 403 patients with 689 hips underwent endoscopic treatment. ITB release and his variations were the main surgical techniques. Gluteus maximus tenotomy was also used in some studies. Postoperative rehabilitation protocols varied. Patients generally experienced significant improvements in symptoms and functional outcomes, with low rates of recurrence (1.02%) and revision (0.15%). Complications were minimal. Conclusions: Endoscopic treatment of ESH shows favorable results, improving functional outcomes and returning patients to pre-injury activity levels. Long-term efficacy and costeffectiveness need to be evaluated, emphasizing the importance of large-scale prospective randomized trials to clarify surgery's benefits in refractory ESH cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]